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FOR 2019, 13 head coaches will make their FBS debuts and
27 teams changed coaches in one of the most-protracted
hiring seasons in recent memory. It lasted two full months,
from Nov. 18, when Kansas announced Les Miles would
replace lame duck David Beaty, until Jan. 18, when Northern
Illinois brought back alum Thomas Hammock to lead the
Huskies. Hammock’s hiring was the conclusion of a chain
reaction set off when Miami coach Mark Richt decided to
retire just days after his heir apparent, Manny Diaz, had
taken the job at Temple. Nonetheless, Diaz came back to
the U, ending his Owls’ tenure at 18 days—a reminder that
as easy as it is for players to transfer, it’s even easier for the
men calling plays, who can make their contractual obliga-
tions go poof in an instant.
The story of college football today is one of shifting
alliances: between player and team, coach and team, team
and conference. It can feel as exhausting as it is exhilarat-
ing; for every serial transfer candidate, there are several
players getting a deserved second chance. As athletes
are gaining power, coaching staffs are getting younger.
And one of the few exceptions is a welcome return of the
Mad Hatter at Kansas. Intriguing College Football Playoff
matchups abound: Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts has a chance
to face the Crimson Tide squad he led to the CFP in 2016
and ’17. And Ohio State’s Justin Fields could find himself
facing his old school, Georgia. So grab a beer (in an SEC
stadium) and settle in for the madness.
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From the parking lot to the sideline and
everywhere in between, here’s the lowdown
on what to look for in 2019 BY JOAN NIESEN
MINUTE GUIDE
